An owner of a Cochrane-based taxi company is looking for answers after one of his drivers was slapped with a hefty ticket for picking up Cochrane passengers in Calgary in an effort to return them to their home.
According to Ken Wilson, owner of Taxi 4 U, the more than $1,000 ticket — which was written in July — was issued to the driver for impersonating a Calgary taxi.
“My business is registered in Cochrane and we’re licensed and insured as taxis,” said Wilson.
The problem on the Calgary end is that taxis from the outlying areas of Calgary — like Cochrane, Okotoks and Strathmore — aren’t licensed as Calgary taxis. While they are more than welcome to drop outlying residents off in Calgary, the city’s livery bylaw prohibits taxis from picking up customers while in the city — even if the customers are from the taxi’s hometown.
“I can’t allow outlying taxi services to come into Calgary and take business away from our drivers,” said Marc Halat, manager of livery services and chief licence officer with the City of Calgary. “The drivers invest a lot to both have a taxi and drive the taxi.
“Calgary has rigid conditions for our drivers to meet,” he continued. “And we have rigid standards for the vehicles as well. We have to assure that the health and safety of our customers is being maintained.”
Halat said this regulation runs both ways: Calgary taxis shouldn’t be travelling to Cochrane and offering business to Cochrane residents.
At the time of the fine, the Taxi 4 U driver was picking up two Cochrane residents from Calgary’s downtown to bring them home to Cochrane. Wilson said his service had dropped the same two people off in Calgary earlier that day.
In a letter to Calgary’s mayor, Wilson stated the driver had the names, phone numbers and destinations of the passengers on hand at the time the fine was written.
Wilson said his business had an agreement with Calgary’s Taxi and Limousine Advisory Committee that said passengers could be brought back to Cochrane if the service had taken them into Calgary and pre-arranged a pick up.
Halat said he had sent out an email rescinding this agreement.
“We recognize that there is an issue and we’re working to find a solution,” said Halat, adding that he has plans to meet with outlying partners to brainstorm ideas to suit all parties.
